We Have A Stronghold In The Day of Trouble

“The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him.”  Nahum 1:7

If this is not a day of trouble, I don’t know what is.  All we hear on radio, television, and read on line is how bad everything is now due to the coronavirus.  It’s enough to send many folks into a deep depression.  I am concerned that the worsening economic conditions will bring on extreme mental distress among many of us.  We have been so used to having nearly everything that we desire and, generally speaking, have been living on “easy street” to some degree, more or less.  Of course, not everyone has more than they know what to do with, but, overall, America is viewed by those in other countries as the land of opportunity.  It is easy to see why so many immigrants want to come here.

I think back to when my parents were young.  Their bathrooms were outdoors.  They didn’t have Charmin with which to wipe their behinds.  My Grannie’s house had running water, but no water heater.  Baths were taken in a galvanized metal tub filled with water that was heated on the stove, a lot of trouble, which meant baths were not taken often.  Clothes were washed with a wringer washer which required a lot of manual labor.  The refrigerator, actually an icebox, was just that, a metal cabinet which held a huge block of ice which cooled down the contents as it melted.  Much of the food was grown in gardens, and meat was not eaten everyday.  And we think we have it hard.  I remember when my uncle bought my grandparents a color television set.  We would go to their house on Sunday night to watch Bonanza because that was about the only show in color at that time.  That TV was the only luxury that they ever had.  My grandparents never owned an automobile, and they lived on a small railroad pension.

Folks get upset when things do not work out like they plan.  However, we have gotten so far away from God and His word, that sometimes it takes something drastic to wake us up to our own sinful ways.  We have accepted things in society that would completely shock my parents and grandparents.  How did we drift so far from righteousness?  The above verse was written by Nahum, one of the Old Testament prophets, who foretold the destruction of Nineveh, the capital of the Assyrian Empire.  He began his prophecy by acknowledging the sovereign right of God to administer justice to the wicked.  He describes God as jealous, furious, and reserving wrath for His enemies.  However, His fury at the wicked is tempered by His willingness to allow people opportunity to repent, or as Nahum wrote, God is slow to anger.  The thousands of years of His patience with all of us sinners is proof of that.

Some folks see God as mean and eager to punish people.  However, they always hoop and holler when the “bad” guy gets his just desserts at the end of the movie indicating that people want justice.  Therefore since God created the world and everything in it, giving life to man, and everything to sustain that life, is it not His prerogative to judge man for his sin?  In the midst of Nahum’s warning to the wicked, he interjects a praise of God because God is good and compassionate to those who trust in Him.  Thus there are only two choices in life:  continue to ignore, dismiss, or treat God indifferently and forfeit His protection and provisions or trust in Him, receiving His mercy and entering the stronghold of His mighty power.  As for me and my house, we choose the latter.